How To Avoid Plastics While Shopping And Eating

There are affordable ways to reduce the amount of plastic you use and alternatives that help limit the spread of microplastics when you’re out shopping and eating this holiday season.

Microplastics, the tiny pieces of plastic debris that permeate everything from the water we drink to the air we breathe, are detrimental to human and environmental health. Busy, cost-conscious shoppers can choose affordable ways to reduce the amount of plastic they consume and discard.

“These particles are increasingly recognized as endocrine disruptors, capable of interfering with our hormonal systems,” writes Forbes contributor Dr. Christopher Thompson, a medical professor at Harvard University. “By mimicking hormones like estrogen and cortisol, microplastics may contribute to weight gain, metabolic issues, fertility and other serious health problems.”

In addition to making us gain weight faster and reproduce slower, Forbes science contributor Leslie Katz writes that research published earlier this year shows microplastics may be affiliated with heightened risks of heart attack and stroke.

When it comes to the planet at large, the overwhelming amount of plastic production and plastic trash we generate has widespread impacts. According to the United Nation Environment Programme, people produce 400 million tonnes of plastic waste every year, polluting water supplies.

Here are a few tactics that Forbes contributor Dr. Jesse Pines, a practicing physician and professor of emergency medicine at Drexel University, recommends for reducing microplastic consumption at home:

• Avoid heating plastic bowls or cups, including steamy takeout served in plastic containers.
• Vacuum your home, including couches and drapes, frequently and follow that cleaning with wet mopping to reduce the microplastic particles you’d otherwise breath in.
• Triple check that you’ve cleaned your food thoroughly before cooking, especially seafood like shrimp.

Drinking from a copper or glass bottle, not plastic water bottles, and washing dishes with powder or liquid soap, instead of with plastic pods, can also help families avoid ingesting plastic particles.

And, as Forbes sustainability contributor Olivia Pinnock points out, using products like Cora Ball or GUPPYFRIEND when washing your clothes at home can reduce the quantity of microplastic released into the water when you do laundry.

As many shoppers know, single-use plastic bags are on their way out. A dozen U.S. states and a growing number of municipalities in other states have banned them. Remember, you can put cloth canvas bags in your car or purse so that they’re already available the next time you go grocery shopping.

“Plastic bag bans in the U.S. have proven effective in reducing plastic litter and pollution in the ocean,” writes Forbes sustainability contributor Daniela De Lorenzo, adding “The European Union has set a target for citizens to use a maximum of 40 plastic bags per year.”

No matter where you live, or what type of shopping you need to do, there are affordable ways to reduce the amount of plastic you consume. With these simple tips you can avoid plastics while shopping and eating, enjoying a healthier lifestyle that’s better for both you and the environment.